Video First Look: WiEx zBoost XY-510 cellular booster

American iPhone users stuck living or working in an AT&T dead zone and unable to sign up for the 3G MicroCell now have another option to try in order to boost their wireless signal: the WiEx Zboost XY-510 cellular booster.

Unlike AT&T's 3G MicroCell, which creates a cellular 3G hotspot by piggybacking on users' local Internet access, the WiEx zBoost cellular booster relays an existing signal from an external antenna to a repeater box installed inside.

That means the zBoost simply won't work if there's no usable signal outside. However, many users experience problems with spotty indoor service because their home or office building simply blocks enough of the available signal to make indoor calls unreliable.

For these types of users, the zBoost is ideal; they won't have to wait for AT&T to expand its 3G MicroCell test markets or to benefit from network upgrades that are slowly improving the mobile provider's service network.

Because the zBoost simply relays and amplifies a given band of mobile frequencies, it works with nearly any service provider. The XY-510 model works on both 800 and 1700 MHz bands, which supports all AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon users, except for Sprint's Nextel subscribers using Motorola's iDen "push to talk" type mobile phones.

AT&T users can amplify both 2G/EDGE and 3G service that is available in their area using the device, enabling them to use the system to work around natural signal barriers related to elevation and topography or trees, walls and metal barriers. Of course, if there is no usable service in the area, the signal booster can't do anything about it.

In the box

For $400 or around $300 street, the xBoost XY-510 package includes an outdoor antenna (it looks like a baton) with a simple mounting kit, a 50 foot length of RG6 coaxial cable, and an indoor base station repeater, which requires a connection to a power outlet.

The outdoor antenna can be located anywhere there's a usable cellular signal, which might simply be indoors next to a window. For best results, WiEx suggests placement as high as practical, either inside an attic or, ideally, outdoors attached to the roof. Once cabled up the the indoor unit, the system can be powered on and hopefully will just begin working. There's no additional setup or configuration.

Status lights on the device indicate whether the external antenna is correctly connected and positioned. Too much signal or interference between the indoor and outdoor antennas can cause problems that will prevent it from working. For best results, WiEx suggests an outside antenna placement at least 15 feet above the level of the repeater box.

The inside repeater also has a jointed antenna that can be adjusted to account for different types of external antenna placement (such as whether both are set in the same horizontal plane or are installed on different floors).

After some experimentation, we found that the XY-510 was able to turn a completely dead zone inside our San Francisco flat into a functional area that supported not just phone calls and texts, but even pretty decent 3G data service. The difference between the signal available on the roof and that found outside on the sidewalk was also significant. Indoor signal is now better than I expect it to be when outside in my neighborhood.

The indoor antenna is omnidirectional, so it's best to place it as closest to the center of your home as possible. It is designed to provide 2500 square feet of coverage, although walls and particularly any sort of metal barriers will factor into how well the signal covers your living space.

More Bars?

WiEx warns that the device won't necessarily result in "more bars" on your cell phone display, as mobile phone indicators are both notoriously imprecise and only register major changes in signal; each bar typically represents 10db of signal strength (an order of magnitude).

Before hooking the device up, I could commonly "get" 3 to 4 bars of signal, even though I was not actually able to place a call, reliably send a text, or even have my phone ring for an incoming call. With the device in place, the level of service now seems quite reasonable, although there do see to be variations in usability related to weather or the time of day, which of course has a lot more to do with ambient levels of service rather than the performance of the zBoost system.

After some additional testing of the zBoost system, I'll report more on how well it works at my location, but early signs point to a major change in usability that could make the unit worth the expense to many people struggling with either spotty service or problematic locations such as working within a metal building or underground.

woooo... did i just click on xnxx.com or redtube.com or is this for reel??? i could swear shes a bad actress from one of these porn sites..
oh no wait ...its the new AT$T commercial ... yea woooohooooo0000

OMG that was so awful, but great at the same time. It's how I imagine having sex with a prostitute might feel (no I haven't tried it and I'm not tempted). No, that's not a comment with regards to the incredibly sexy and smart Khara Cara (never heard of her), it's just that's how it made me feel.

I'm so ashamed!!!! I mean my wife likes to show off when we go out, but this made a very attractive girl look sarcastically cheap in a more than just a little stuck-up way. I'll have to check out whether Khara Cara has another angle to her humor, and if she does, I might become a big fan (yes, she's hot).

I like the idea, but I hope this is not the only schtick Daniel uses to make his videos funny.

[Edit]One thing is for sure. If they keep working together like this, it will do wonders for both of their careers. Daniel's videos will explode with popularity as horny geeks spread the news of a hot and horny Asian doing tech videos (imagine if instead of "chicks and cars" mags you had "chicks and SSD storage" mags with half naked girls on the cover and you'll understand what I mean). Meanwhile, Khara Cara's popularity will go through the roof not only in her Bay Area region, but around the world, as horny geeks will be begging for more.[/edit]

sorry, i just don't like these boosters. more trouble and complicated to install than they are worth.

i have one, different brand, and it just doesn't work. I have needed a microcell, but ATT just isn't releasing it out of its test markets, no matter their promises to release it in 2009.

does just having it in 1 test market, or now 5, really count as being helpful to their entire client base??? no.

i am seriously giving verizon a real thought at moving over to them

I personally do NOT want to pay a company to ignore the issue of crappy coverage by making YOU pay for a half solution aka only getting a signal in YOUR home.Imagine if you live in San Francisco and you had a microcell at your home. You may be able to get a signal at your home, but go down to the local coffee shop and you may not have a signal... Heck you may not have a signal even if you could SEE your house :/ That's why I don't support microcell technology. It just tries to mask an issue, but it does a BAD job at doing it. Come on cell phone companies! Get better coverage... then we won't need this "solution"!

I personally do NOT want to pay a company to ignore the issue of crappy coverage by making YOU pay for a half solution aka only getting a signal in YOUR home.Imagine if you live in San Francisco and you had a microcell at your home. You may be able to get a signal at your home, but go down to the local coffee shop and you may not have a signal... Heck you may not have a signal even if you could SEE your house :/ That's why I don't support microcell technology. It just tries to mask an issue, but it does a BAD job at doing it. Come on cell phone companies! Get better coverage... then we won't need this "solution"!

My thoughts exactly. We are paying enough for service, why should we pay anymore? Fix the damn problem AT&T!

Oh and I should add, yeah San Francisco is the worst! I will get full bars and full 3G and calls drop like mad!

I bought this device for the four iPhones we have (we live near Baltimore) and frankly, it did nothing even when mounted on the roof, and I took it down. YMMV, of course, but it was a lot of effort to mount it and our house is small. I think it works better in newer houses with less brick/stone/concrete in the structure, but that's just a guess. Make sure that if you buy it, you get it from someplace with a no hassle return policy.

I don't know about the US but in Europe installation of mobile network repeaters is illegal without the authorization of the network operator. Any repeater will degrade the networks performance and the network planners need to know where and how many repeaters there are in any given cell, otherwise they get unexplained anomalies and problems.

Also the installation needs to be done professionally, as dodgy installation will create interference in the network for you and others, worsening the situation.

Contrary to the poster above, for a repeater to work efficiently (and to not create interference) there needs to be sufficient isolation between the outside and inside. So that the repeated signal is clearly the dominating and does not loop back to the antenna on the roof. So the "thicker" the walls the better the result with a repeater.

Way to pick up on this stuff early on, it's been around for maybe a year. Microcell is still barely available, with no date for wide roll-out. I couldn't wait an unknown amount of time for what might have been vaporware, so I bought my zBoost in the in July of last year.

For my situation, I can't blame AT&T for my indoor signal strength because my shop has metal siding and lots of metal inside. The signal is usually decent outside, great on a clear day.

I would buy my zBoost again in the same situation. But there are clear caveats. One is, if there isn't a signal to be had outdoors, this thing isn't going to help you very much, if at all. I wouldn't put the antenna on the roof unless you have a lightning rod. I installed the outdoor antenna high on the side of the building facing the nearest AT&T tower. The outdoor antenna should have a clear view of the cell tower for best results, fewer obstructions, the better. The repeater should be as far indoors as possible.

I've also found that it's best for the phone to not be too close to the repeater. Within 6ft / 2m, the signal strength seemed to overpower my phone and the whole phone / repeater system has trouble.

Why don't we just all jump into the microwave oven instead and have done with it?!?! ;-/

That's silly because it totally lacks perspective.

The watt or so that the repeater might be emitting is about a thousandth of what a microwave oven can sink into food. A microwave is allowed to leak more radiation power than the repeater emits through the indoor antenna.

I purchased one of these 2 months back, I admit it isn't cheap but I live in northern Wisconsin and there is just no AT&T service.
I upgraded the system to a better antennae and mounted on the highest part of my cabin.
I went from having no service to having 4 bars. I'm impressed, I never in my wildest dreams thought it would work this good. The antennae it came with works sort of but the upgraded antennae works great, Take a cruise around and find your closes cellular antennae and point your mounted home antennae at it. That simple, as for installation it takes next to nothing. It can be installed and running in less than a half hour. It provides cellular service inside my cabin for around 1600 square feet or the first floor, granted the service is better near the inside antennae but I mounted it in the main room where we are most of the time.
When nothing else is available this works.

Now if only there were something to fix my horrendous HDTV reception. I'm having the landlord take a look... if he doesn't fix it, I'm going to install my own rooftop antenna.

I feel your pain... While I'm less than 20 miles from NYC I get ZERO HDTV OTA reception... it seems my solution would require removing the mountain my home currently sits on (on the wrong side as usual)... So, I've gotten over it but it still sucks!

I bought this a couple of years ago, and it works great for us. In my house we have a finished basement, and of course there was no coverage there, and weak coverage in the rest of the house. With the antenna in the attic and the repeater in the basement, everyone gets great coverage everywhere in the house. And it works my AT&T plus my friends phones, who have T-Mobile and Verizon.

The booster is damned expensive. I guess it works for some, but $400 plus another $100 for an upgraded antennae? Just use a carrier with better service.

Assuming it's the carrier's fault. I don't like AT&T, but for my case, it isn't really their fault, it's mostly the metal-clad building. Sprint and VZW only do marginally better (they use the same tower for me), so I would still need this booster for their phones. Other areas, odd terrain or area foliage doesn't help, they can't necessarily cover every dip in a valley. If you can get the exterior antenna above the terrain and foliage, then this should really help.

And that's the list price, it's easy to get it for less than $300. An antenna upgrade isn't always necessary, I do fine with the stock one.

I got one of these for about $260 off of Amazon a few weeks ago (they've raised the price to $292 right now).

It took the T-Mobile signal in my house from zero bars and no connection at all to 4 full bars (max on my Nexus One phone) and excellent service in just about the entire house. It also boosted the signal for my AT&T iPhone from spotty in some areas of the house to again, 5 full bars everywhere in the house.

I was a little irked at T-Mobile service in my neighborhood, but it's partly my brick and stucco (wire cage) house design.

At any rate, this will only help you, as others point out, if you can get a signal at whereever the antenna is placed. On my roof, I get a very strong signal, so I just taped the antenna with electrical tape to my HDTV antenna and dropped the cable along the same route as the TV. Very easy, very quick.

Highly recommended if you can get a signal outside, but not inside your home.

To those of you who wrote they're against microcell/repeater technology on some altruistic or fundamental principle, I really think you guys miss the point. It's fine and dandy to hold the cellular companies to task about their poor coverage, but that ain't gonna change things for those of us who live with the problems every day.

For example. I work from home, and I require cellular coverage in my basement to get my job done. Getting another landline is expensive and inconvenient... so buying a repeater like the WiEx is actually cheaper for me in the long run! My company wouldn't pay for it, so either I buy it myself or I can't do my job. Pretty easy solution: I buy it myself or else get fired.

I own one of these WiEx units, and have used it for about six months now. It's not bad. It's not a panacea either, though. I had to rent a very long ladder (40') to mount the antenna near the top of my house, and I had to buy a longer 50' RG-6 coaxial cable to reach my basement. But at least I have coverage now. When installing, you have to make very sure all the connections are very tight or your coverage will be spotty at best. Before installing I had 0 bars on my iPhone and Blackberry in the basement and 3 to 4 bars at the top of my house. Now I have 5 bars showing, sound quality is good and 3G performance is good too.

Last thing. This unit doesn't cover ANYWHERE NEAR 2,500 square feet. The specs are likely if you have no walls or floors in your house... not likely. I am lucky it just covers the area of my small office, about 75 square feet, and a bit more. When I go to the next room, coverage drops, and two rooms away I can't make calls again.

Overall I'm happy I bought a repeater. Knowing what I know now, I might spend a few hundred dollars MORE and get a more professional model which actually does provide coverage for my whole house. The price goes up pretty quickly once you start down that route, so the WiEx isn't bad value for the money. It works and is easy to use. Since I bought it: one day when I move, I'm taking the unit with me.

I choose to live in beautiful if not well wired locations. As such I do not have 3G coverage and in fact have limited to no cell service.

Canada - My cabin in Canada (located North of Buckhorn, Ontario) had one to no bars on Rogers and the only way I could take or make cell phone calls (on my US iPhone) was to walk outside on the deck and with luck it might work. Well it gets cold here in Canada (-40 is no unheard of in the winter). So last year I installed a 510 unit and it works fantastically! I have 4 or 5 bars inside the cabin now. The KEY to installing one of these and getting them to work is to following the mounting instructions carefully - making sure to separate (both vertically and horizontally) the receiver from the antenna by at least 20 feet (prevents feedback). Also ALWAYS test the location of the antenna before final installation (I see folks have spent all the time and effort to set it up only to find that it doesn't work well - run the wires through open windows and test until you find the best signal improvement). One trick that I used to get more height for the antenna was to put the bottom end into the flared end of a 1" PVC pipe (it fits perfectly and I got an extra 4 feet of height above the roofline. I did this for both locations).

US - My house is in west Marin, California out near Point Reyes National Seashore. AT&T maps show that I have no coverage, but I actually got about 1 bar (Edge service) and again had to go outside to make or receive calls. About 2 months ago (after my success in Canada) I purchased a second unit for this house. Both homes have metal roofs so that was a part of the problem in both cases. Again once installed with the main unit in the basement and the antenna installed about 5 feef from the chimney on the roof, I have 4-5 bars inside the house and can now make and receive calls easily. My guests on other networks can all also use their cell phones in the house.

I'm not affiliated with this company in any way and purchased both my units on Amazon. I also purchased extra mounting clips (the black plastic screw on, slip clip that holds the antenna in place) on Amazon.

The watt or so that the repeater might be emitting is about a thousandth of what a microwave oven can sink into food. A microwave is allowed to leak more radiation power than the repeater emits through the indoor antenna.

How do you know that? I was not aware that there was fairly clear, scientific consensu about the issue of microwave radiation from cell towers and phones. Is there? Please post links to easy to read sources if you've got them. This was my concern too, especially with a 6-year old in the house. My limited understanding is that a microwave oven is shielded. Isn't the purpose of a mini-cell tower in your home to spread an unfettered signal throughout the home? I get the general consensus that wi-fi waves are no more harmful than your FM Radio (does anyone have one of those anymore?), but I'm not sold on the "safety" of cell phones and cell phone radiation. I might use a microwave once a day for no more than 3 minutes. I spend 50 times that on my cell phone and usually have it in my pocket the rest of the time. Does anyone really know how safe that is? I'm not an alarmist or fear monger-er by any stretch. Just wondering what we can really say authoritatively about this issue today.

Please enlighten if you've got more definitive info on this. I'm surprised that AppleInsider never mentioned this point too. It would behoove the author to add that in the followup or revise the existing article.

How do you know that? I was not aware that there was fairly clear, scientific consensu about the issue of microwave radiation from cell towers and phones. Is there? Please post links to easy to read sources if you've got them. This was my concern too, especially with a 6-year old in the house. My limited understanding is that a microwave oven is shielded. Isn't the purpose of a mini-cell tower in your home to spread an unfettered signal throughout the home? I get the general consensus that wi-fi waves are no more harmful than your FM Radio (does anyone have one of those anymore?), but I'm not sold on the "safety" of cell phones and cell phone radiation. I might use a microwave once a day for no more than 3 minutes. I spend 50 times that on my cell phone and usually have it in my pocket the rest of the time. Does anyone really know how safe that is? I'm not an alarmist or fear monger-er by any stretch. Just wondering what we can really say authoritatively about this issue today.

Please enlighten if you've got more definitive info on this. I'm surprised that AppleInsider never mentioned this point too. It would behoove the author to add that in the followup or revise the existing article.

Microwaves are shielded, but they can still leak, they're allowed to leak a few watts of power last I heard. The current cellular standards don't allow more than a watt of power transmission, which is about a quarter that of older standards.

GSM is a 20 year old standard, and there were 2-way radios since WWII, those had transmitters on the unit or on a luggable box. That should be more than enough time to find clearly whether or not a low dose non-ionizing radiation is harmful.

When it comes down to it though, if you're worried about cell, then you need to be worried about your WiFi access point, Bluetooth and being within a few miles from any radio or TV transmitter. We've had TV transmitters in the same general range of frequencies as cell phones for several decades. Those towers emit tens of thousands of watts of radiated power, and have been operating for half a century without evidence of danger. If it was a problem, we should have seen an epidemic long ago.

Microwaves are shielded, but they can still leak, they're allowed to leak a few watts of power last I heard. The current cellular standards don't allow more than a watt of power transmission, which is about a quarter that of older standards.

GSM is a 20 year old standard, and there were 2-way radios since WWII, those had transmitters on the unit or on a luggable box. That should be more than enough time to find clearly whether or not a low dose non-ionizing radiation is harmful.

When it comes down to it though, if you're worried about cell, then you need to be worried about your WiFi access point, Bluetooth and being within a few miles from any radio or TV transmitter. We've had TV transmitters in the same general range of frequencies as cell phones for several decades. Those towers emit tens of thousands of watts of radiated power, and have been operating for half a century without evidence of danger. If it was a problem, we should have seen an epidemic long ago.

Okay. Fair enough. Reasonable argument. How do we know that Cancer rates today are not in part affected by all of this? Again, I don't mean to sound rhetorical, but how do we know this? How do we judge something a reasonable risk and what's the math on putting a mini-cell tower in the home that radiates less than a microwave, but does so 24/7?... Is there a place where laymen and women can check all of this out?

Okay. Fair enough. Reasonable argument. How do we know that Cancer rates today are not in part affected by all of this? Again, I don't mean to sound rhetorical, but how do we know this? How do we judge something a reasonable risk and what's the math on putting a mini-cell tower in the home that radiates less than a microwave, but does so 24/7?... Is there a place where laymen and women can check all of this out?

I don't know where to point you. It seems like there should be a good place to go, but I haven't seen one yet. I mostly listen to Science Friday and Quirks and Quarks radio shows, they don't cover any issue too deeply, but the guests do at least explain how they arrive at their conclusions. They might have a segment on cell phones.

My thoughts exactly. We are paying enough for service, why should we pay anymore? Fix the damn problem AT&T!

Oh and I should add, yeah San Francisco is the worst! I will get full bars and full 3G and calls drop like mad!

I was recently in Warner Robins Georgia. While it is not exactly huge, it is bigger than you may imagine, and has a large military base. The intern I had along uses Verizon and there was not a single place in town, or on base, where he did not have either full reception, or one bar under full. Everything worked fine.

My iPhone? I had to walk around like a water diviner looking for reception. In one on-base café, my phone went from full bars-3G to nothing, back to one bar with Edge, and then 2 bars with some sort of a colored dot for network type. All this is going on while sitting in the same seat!

Other places in town, full bars meant nothing; 1 call out of 3 would drop.

Meridian MS, the same thing. This time I had a man along who had Sprint and it worked well all over the base and all over town. Not so AT&T. July 14th is when my contract expires. July 15 is when I shut my AT&T service down.